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MILS: News from the FYROM, 96-11-27Macedonian Information Liaison Service Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: "Macedonian Information Liaison Service" <mils@mils.spic.org.mk>CONTENTS
MILS SUPPLEMENTMILS NEWSSkopje, 27th November, 1996[01] DECISION ON EXTENSION OF UNPREDEP-MANDATE DUE TODAYThe UN Security Council is expected to adopt the decision on the extension of the UNPREDEP-mandate in Macedonia for another six months, according to MTV reports which furthermore reveal that informal consulting meetings had already been held in New York - whereas the resolution should be ratified officially on Thursday.[02] DORIS PACK: NO POLITICAL OBSTACLES TO INTENSIFY RELATIONS BETWEEN THE EU AND MACEDONIAA delegation of the European Parliament for Relations with SE Europe, headed by Doris Pack, was received by President Kiro Gligorov, Parliament Chairman Tito Petkovski, Foreign Secretary Ljubomir Frchkovski, the Parliamentary Commission for Foreign Affairs and different parliamentary factions during their visit yesterday. Official sources state that throughout talks with President Gligorov it had been mutually assessed that an evolution and fortification of cooperation between the EU and Macedonia is of general interest to peace and collaboration in the European region.President Gligorov placed particular emphasis on Macedonia's policy of equally well-developed relations of cohabitation with all its neighbours. Regarding international relations it was stressed that Macedonia would remain committed to a policy furthering nationality rights within the system concordant to international standards. Talks with Parliament Chairman Tito Petkovski focused on the fact that the quality of relations between the EU and Macedonia reflects itself favourably upon the procedures of mutual approximation and the complete integration of our country into the EU. During yesterday's press statement Doris Pack indicated that this visit represented a follow-up to last year's stay of a European parliamentary delegation in Macedonia - when the pledge had been made to facilitate Macedonia's admission into the PHARE programmes and improve the country's relations with the EU. Evaluating the achievements with respect to these commitments favourably, Ms. Pack stressed that there were no political impediments to the intensification of collaboration between the Union and Macedonia - and that what remained to be resolved were mere technicalities. Concerning talks dwelling on inter-ethnic relations it has been emphasized that the Government and the people of Macedonia - Macedonians, Albanians and other minorities alike - have to reach a common ground in order to improve the overall state of affairs in Macedonia and bring the country closer to Europe. Ms. Ilinka Mitreva, Chairwoman of the Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee, underlined the considerable interest into inter-ethnic relations in Macedonia exhibited by the European Parliament delegation, and the quoting of Constitutional provisions with regards to this subject, as this act of law contains all European standards on the respecting of human and minority rights. [03] PANGALOS: `GREEK MACEDONIA SHOULD NOT BE IDENTIFIED WITH THE NEIGHBOURING STATE'`Athens expects Skopje to give its consent to a mutually acceptable name which would denote an obvious distinction between Greek Macedonia and the neighbouring state', claimed Greek Head of Diplomacy Theodoros Pangalos during an interview given for a private Belgian TV station. He also assessed bilateral economic relations as problem- free. MTV, however, reports that Greek Government Spokesperson Dimitris Reppas stated that the resolving of the name-issue in New York was being delayed by the lack of flexibility of the neighbour - refusing at the same time to announce the Government's estimate as to when this issue could be settled.[04] DUBLIN: ADDRESS BY VICE-PRESIDENT JANE MILJOSKIMedia report the delivering of an address on `Macedonia on a European Orientation' during the 10th Annual EU Financial Convention in Dublin yesterday, by Vice- President Jane Miljoski in front of the EU member-states Finance Ministers. On this occasion the Vice-President confirmed the strategic orientation of Macedonia, subsequently dwelling the on the possibility of the country's integration within Europe.`Nova Makedonija' reveals that Miljoski had also been received by the Finance Minister of the Republic of Ireland yesterday for talks which mainly concentrated on future activities to fasten the enactment of the Cooperation Agreement between the EU and Macedonia, and the possibilities on upscaling the latter towards the standards of the former. [05] MORE FOREIGN INVESTMENTS TO COMPLETE PRIVATISATION AND LEGISLATIONMs. Ellen Goldstein, representative of the World Bank mission in Macedonia, informed Parliament Chairman Tito Petkovski on Macedonia's prospects to obtain as much funding as possible - in shape of credits given under favourable terms by this renowned financial institution.The Mac. radio also reports that Goldstein underlined the necessity of an expedient completion of privatisation procedures in Macedonia, and the ratification of legal provisions which would facilitate increased foreign investments. The World Bank expressed its readiness to render loans to small- and medium-sized businesses and the agricultural sector, as the development of both generates employment opportunities for the population. [06] WEAK RESPONSE TO `EBRD' CREDITSDuring yesterday's session the Government asked the National Bank of Macedonia to analyze procedures for the procurement of a 30 million dollar credit from the EBRD in order to fund small- and medium-sized businesses, as well as return terms for these credits.In connection to this A-1 TV quotes sources within the Central Bank on broadcasting the information that so far the demand for the obtaining of such loans had been low as only 10 million dollars had been forwarded via `Stopanska Banka' in Skopje. Other banks involved in this project, such as: `Almako-Banka', `Makedonska Banka' and `Izvozno- Kreditna Banka' have transacted even much less. This has mainly been attributed to the fact that mortgages offered could hardly be executed from a legal aspect, as well as there are provisions on compulsory share-holding and submission of a financial guarantee by businesses. This is augmented by the unattractive projects proposed up to now, and the provision of 10% being demanded by banks from companies. [07] SAVINGS SECURITY FUND OPERATING FROM 1ST JANUARY `97 ONWARDSA-1 TV reports that the Savings Security Fund is to be established these days, as the National Bank of Macedonia has adopted the most recent version of the Fund's draft- statute - which had been outlined during the last meeting of bankers and Governor Stanoevski at the Chamber of Economy. The same TV station also claims that the Founding Session of the Fund will most probably be held on 4th December. This is to be followed by the transaction of the founding payments of 10 000 DM by each constituent bank and financial institution. The Fund should be operating from 1st January `97 onwards.[08] IMRO-DPMNE: SDSM CREATED ORGANISED CHAOS DURING ROUND 1 OF ELECTIONSThe electorate chaos has been created within the calculations of Justice Secretary Vlado Popovski, as they abundant with variables, commented IMRO-DPMNE spokesperson Dragi Ivanovski yesterday. The latter furthermore claims that Secretary Popovski accepted OSCE and Council of Europe assessments which report the progression of democracy in Macedonia, whereas he discards the findings of the same observers who visited 600 polling stations and registered that ca. 25% of the electorate was not covered by existing voters' lists. This organised chaos created by the SDSM emerged during round 1 of the elections when - as Ivanovski claims - it occurred that entire streets were not covered by voter registration, whereas `phantom voters' could be found. All this, when bearing in mind the turn-out percentage and the number of invalid vote-slips, is a verification of the elections with less than 50% of the electorate.Due to this the IMRO-DPMNE would - as it has been announced on yesterday's press conference - not only demand that Justice Secretary Vlado Popovski be held responsible (via the submitting of an interpolation to the Parliament by the LP), but that the same would be requested with regards to the NEC which compiled the electorate register and the National Institute of Statistics as both had breached election and voting regulations. IMRO-DPMNE also demanded the establishing of a Commission which would be comprised of representatives of those parties participating in these elections and international experts. The Commission should be given access to the register actually used during voting procedures - and not `the one manipulated by the Ministry of the Interior and the SDSM election HQ'. [09] DP: POLITICAL CLEANSING IN ELECTORATE REGISTER`If Council of Europe observers indicated that between 20 and 25% of the electorate had not been covered by the electorate register; if DP monitors stressed that over 10% of the electorate has not been able to cast their votes on election day due to the same reasons, the statement given by Secretary Popovski that merely 1.17% had not been registered only bears evidence to the gravitating lack of his political and moral responsibility'.This was part of an assessment announced by DP spokesperson Jovan Manasievski yesterday, who furthermore claimed that the reaction of Secretary Popovski to the press conference held two days ago was `a cynical denial of what went on during election day', discarding opposition data that `political cleansing' had been carried out during voter registration. DP spokesperson Manasievski also accused Secretary Popovski of `ruthlessly distorting the truth' during yesterday's press conference, by submitting the fact that the family of the DP-youth leader Andrej Zhernovski and the family of DP leader Petar Goshev's sister had not been registered as evidence - contrary to the claims of Secretary Popovski. The DP spokesperson finished the conference that the statements given by Secretary Popovski could not be accepted at face value by the opposition, and that the Minister should not expect this either - unless the opposition is granted access to the electorate register. Therefore Manasievski sees the solution to this issue in the forwarding of the register to all participants of the election. [10] LJUPCHO NIKOLOVSKI - FUFO: PARTY PEDDLARS SELL VOTESYesterday the independent mayor-candidate for Skopje Ljupcho Nikolovski - Fufo stated that at the present elections resembled a `deer i.e. vote hunt' starring the political parties as leads. According to Nikolovski `the bartering by political parties only prove that they see Skopje as a statistic figure', which means that everybody is doing business with everybody, and party peddlars are selling votes regardless to colour and party orientation.Nikolovski also criticized independent mayor-candidates Gordana Mihajlovska and Amdi Bajram for asking their voters to support the SDSM mayor-candidate for Skopje during round 2 , by dismissing their action as deficient of seriousness. Ljupcho Nikolovski - Fufo also asked the citizens of Skopje to attend round 2 of the elections in greater numbers, stressing that technicalities should not prevent them from casting their vote in favour of the candidate of their own choosing. [11] SEVERAL PARTIES SUPPORT THE `SDSM'A-1 TV reports that prior to round 2 of these local elections the Social-Democratic Party of Macedonia had expressed its support for the SDSM and its mayor-candidate Jovica Ugrinovski. As has been the case with the Democratic Progressive Party of the Rhoma of Macedonia, the Democratic Union of Albanians - Liberal Party, and the depts. of the World War 2 Veterans' Association in Skopje.[12] MAYOR ELECTIONS ANNULLED IN KRATOVO MUNICIPALITYAccording to a statement released yesterday by the Head of the Municipal Election Commission of Election Unit # 50 (the Kratovo municipality), the mayor elections held on 17th November have been annulled. MTV reports this to be a result of a complaint submitted to the Municipal Election Commission by one of the mayor-candidates which had been overruled by the latter but subsequently sustained by the Court of Appeals. The complaint was based on a technical error i.e. the altering of the candidate's name to a significant extent. Mayor elections are therefore to be repeated in all 36 polling stations on the 1st December.MILS SUPPLEMENT[13] `Unfulfilled rights'(`Nova Makedonia', 27th November 1996)As it has been excepted, the Macedonian emigrants in the past month or two have shown a great interested for the situations in their motherland and this is related to the current elections for the local self management in the Macedonian Republic. Namely, our fellow citizens ( many of whom besides having a citizenship of the country they live in have a Macedonian one as well) have been informed that the omissions of the parliamentary elections in 1994 will be not be repeated and that efforts will be made to fulfil the legal electoral provisions according to which our citizens regardless of the place of living should fulfil their duties towards the country, especially the democratic right to elect and be elected. Dimitar Stojanovski, Violeta Popova, Velika Nikolovska, Danica Nikolovska, Dragan Boshkovski and others working in the Scandinavian countries had one common question in their addresses: Should the elections in the Republic of Macedonia be carried out without allowing the fellow citizens from abroad to participate in them according to the legal provisions? It is clear to them that in order to vote they should visit the closest diplomatic consular agency of the Macedonian Republic and they stress that they would gladly do it and most of the Macedonian citizens in the European and other countries are prepared to do it because it is much easier than travelling to the motherland in order to vote. `We do not wish to be considered only as formal citizens of our motherland Macedonia. We do not want to fulfil only certain obligations due to that status, which we are pleased to possess, while we are being deprived from certain other obligations which have not been granted to us by the Law. We love Macedonia, it is our country and the country of our predecessors, but we want it to remain the motherland of our succeeding generations no matter where they live. If the love is mutually frank (both on our part and on the part of the Macedonian state) than that is one of the crucial conditions for our children, although they were born and have been living abroad, to return to Macedonia and live there if they have strong guarantee for their business , says Popova. According to the information from the Macedonian ethnic associations in Europe, USA, Canada and Australia illogical occurrences were noticed in the proceedings of the official state bodies which far before the local elections of 1996 emphasised that they will be realised upon democratic basis, i.e. that the legal rights will be fulfilled according to which the fellow citizens from abroad with a Macedonian citizenship will be allowed to vote in the diplomatic-consular agencies of the Macedonian Republic. However, it is more than obvious that the promises of the state to enable these citizens to take part in the elections of the local self management will bring nothing, i.e. the positive legal rights will not be fulfilled and moreover, the promised conditions for voting in the Macedonian diplomatic-consular agencies will not be procured. The contradictions are obvious. With the Law for the local elections the state verbally or formally turns out to be democratically completely clean by regulating the rights of the Macedonian citizen from abroad to vote not only in the polling stations in the municipality where lies their last lodging on the territory of the Macedonian Republic before leaving abroad, but also to vote in the diplomatic- consular agencies of our country in the states where they exist. Even with a particular article it is regulated that the elections abroad are to be carried out by the diplomatic-consular agencies themselves and the way of carrying out the proceedings of the voting are precisely pointed out as well. But the Law will be Law and it can be drafted in the best way but as long as it is can not be completely realised it means that it had been prepared without a total assessment of the possibilities or in this particular instance there is a different criterion for the citizens from abroad, so the fatherland does (not) think of them! How otherwise can one interpret the recent exposition from the Justice Minister of the Republic of Macedonia that there are no objective conditions for the Macedonian citizens from abroad to take part in the local elections in the republic. Namely, he states that the Republic of Macedonia does not have democratic-consular agencies in all the countries inhabited by its citizens, while in the countries where it does have them the voting is impossible to be carried out. Many emigrants do not agree with this. They consider that the Minister's explanation - that the main trouble results from the fact that it would be difficult for the Macedonian citizens in one country to gather from more cities and go to one of the Macedonian diplomatic- consular agencies - has no substantiation. If the state fulfils its obligation and organises the elections in the agencies, according to the leaderships in the Macedonian communities, maybe only a small number of citizens of our Republic would not visit the consulates or the embassies of the Macedonian Republic regardless of their remoteness. Because that is a far smaller distance than travelling to their motherland due to one voting - the only opportunity which the state has given to its own citizens living abroad. The preparing of detailed candidacy lists for all the diplomatic-consular agencies abroad is a non- resistant fact which the authorised structures should already have realised. Otherwise it means that the law for the local elections laid down by the Macedonian parliament is not carried through. In that case the blame for non-fulfilment of the legal rights is not to be put on our fellow citizens living abroad. (end)mils news, 27th November 1996Macedonian Information Liaison Service Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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